Don’t Follow Someone Just Because They Have Followers!

The Five Factors of People Worth Following and Who Has Them

LinkedIn is flooded with videos and posts with people trying to get attention and create inspiration. But who is really going to play a role in our success? Ever think it’s important to pay attention to who you are following before you do it? Don’t just follow someone because they have swarms of followers. Follow them because they will speed up your trip to success. Here is how to decide if someone is worth your time.

1. They seem like they don’t have to try.

They aren’t begging people to comment or agree; people just do it. It’s a subtle confidence. I’m not saying that it’s bad to ask for call to action. Trust me I’m starting to do that more now to connect with people and build a community. However, how sweet is it if you are someone who doesn’t need to ask? It’s a whole other level of cool. Note there will absolutely be a conversation starting by the end of this article. What can I say right now I am all about trying.

2. They lose the EGO and have a WEgo.

I learned this lesson over 20 years ago from my mentor in performance psychology. Dr. Al Petitpas taught me that you get further in life with just the “right amount of ego.” It became crystal clear as I learned the importance of being confident, pursuing excellence, and collaborating with people who are better than me in different areas.

3. They Harness Humor.

They know how to  Lead with Laughter. They aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves and are brave enough to encourage others to laugh at themselves. The best influencers know that laughter is the closest connection between two humans and it’s contagious. You can’t be defensive or cranky when you are laughing. Humor makes your messages last longer.

4. They are Securely Insecure.

If you are able to call out your insecurities yourself by definition you are becoming more secure. The best influencers become stronger in their weak places by identifying their own insecurities. It’s brilliant because people can connect to them, they seem humble, and at the same time are working through their insecurities. It makes the influencer more relatable.

5. They mix in some Evidence with the Entertainment.

This is the one that is going to kick out the overwhelming majority of people that come to mind at first. Charisma is fun and easy to follow, but I think we deserve more. We need people that aren’t just entertaining, but also have some evidence to support their perspectives. Believe me I am the furthest thing from a hardcore scientist, but I do believe theatrics alone don’t cut it. I’m the guy that when he was in grad school loved to tell my professors to “Learn to go with your gut it goes with you.” Not the best strategy to getting through a doctoral program. In any case once in a while we need a little intel to keep our charisma in check.

I believe in balancing sophistication with simplicity, bridging the personal with the professional, and playing a role in people’s success. The duck analogy is important here. Remember what I wrote earlier:  “They seem like they don’t have to try.” It may look like a duck is just cruising along, but what’s going on in reality is they’re paddling like crazy! Time to paddle let’s help each move toward our success destination.

Those are the Five Factors. Let’s help people out by creating a list who fits the five factors and who we can follow so it leads us toward our success. Who would you put on the list? Write their names and tag them below.